Ridgers ready themselves for more snowfall

If an area of low pressure develops over the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and pushes Gulf moisture north, East Tennessee could be in for more snow accumulations.

Russel Langley/The Oak Ridger

If an area of low pressure develops over the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and pushes Gulf moisture north, East Tennessee could be in for more snow accumulations. At press time Monday, reports on the National Weather Service (NWS) website said “significant snow accumulation (is) possible for Tuesday night through Wednesday night.”

NWS models show that the area of low pressure will pull the Gulf moisture into the Southern Appalachian mountains and will produce a large area of precipitation. While mainly in the form of snow, the precipitation could be a mix of rain and snow in some areas, reports stated.

As aforementioned, the best chance for significant snow accumulation will be Tuesday night through Wednesday night. In the mountains on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, the NWS is predicting three to five inches of snowfall with elevations above 5,000 feet receiving more.

For Oak Ridge, the NWS forecast for Tuesday is slight chances of rain and snow with a high of 36 degrees and a low of 25 degrees. The overall chance of precipitation is 20 percent. On Wednesday and Wednesday night, that chance increases to 50 percent with a high near 37 degrees and a low of 25 degrees.

The news from Pat Fallon, Operations & Maintenance manager for Oak Ridge Public Works, was more detailed Monday. Fallon said in a phone interview that he had received an update from the NWS predicting two to four inches of snow for Oak Ridge beginning about 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Fallon said city crews would begin to prepare the roads with a brine mixture early Wednesday morning. The first priority are what Fallon called “Level One” streets. A good example of a Level One street would be the Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Following those streets are the Level Two streets such as New York Avenue and those streets that feed Level One streets. According to the city’s winter weather plan, Level Two streets also include hills and shady areas, as well as other known trouble spots.

Level Three streets are those that connect to and provide access to subdivisions. And Level Four streets are all other residential streets and, according to Fallon, will likely not receive treatment.

“We will treat Level Four streets in the case of emergencies,” said Fallon, who advised all Oak Ridgers to use caution when driving in the snow.

“If it starts snowing and you don’t need to be out, don’t be out,” Fallon said.